Use of minor tranquilizers among Norwegian physicians. A nation-wide comparative study.
The use of minor tranquilizers (hypnotics and anxiolytics) during the last month before a questionnaire was answered was studied in a postal survey of a nation-wide representative sample of Norwegian physicians (n = 1467), aged 25 to 69 years. The response rate was 73%. A total of 12.2% of the physicians had used minor tranquilizers in the past month, one third of these on a daily or weekly basis. There was no gender difference. High age, high mental distress, and working outside the hospital was identified as risk factors for drug use. Compared to a representative sample of subjects from the general population with the same age and education level, (The Nord-Trøndelag Health Survey), more male physicians than males in the comparison sample had used minor tranquilizers in the past month, also when controlled for subjective well-being. However, the physicians had used the drugs more sporadic. When self-prescription of minor tranquilizers was studied in a different sample of 1024 Norwegian physicians, it was found that 72.6% of the physicians had self-prescribed the drugs. There was no gender difference in self-prescribing.
Rosvold
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EO
University of Oslo, Department of Medical History, Norway.
Vaglum
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P
Moum
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D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012651:Self Medication / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents